Draft-rigging for railway-cars.



G. A. JOHNSON.

DRAFT 310mm; ron RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 9; I914.

Patented Mar. 14, 1916.

Q INVENTOR. eazjgefl Jofinawz B Y 242070 I 49a ATTORNEY GEORGE A. JOHNSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNDR TO WILLIAM H.

MINER, or

CHAZY, NEW YORK.

DRAFT-BIGGING FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 14, 1916.

Application filed October 9, 1914. Serial No. 865,788.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. Jonnson, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Draft-Rigging for Railway-Cars, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in draft rigging for railway cars.

The object of my invention is to provide a draft rigging of efficient operation.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figurel is a side elevation, partly in vertical longitudinal section of a draft rigging embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is aplan view, partly in section.

Referring to the drawings, the numerals 3-3 indicate draft members or parts of the car frame to which the draft rigging is applied. 4 the end sill. 5 the buffer block and 6 a draw bar carry iron, all of usual construction. Rear stop members 7-7, of a usual type, are secured to the draft members. Front stop members 8-8, more particularly hereinafter described, are secured to the draft members. A draft gear 9 is mounted between the draft members, the draft gear including a hollow friction shell 10. open at its forward end and closed at its rear end by the preferably integral plate 11 laterally extended to form the rear follower. Within the shell is -mounte a wedge 12 and friction shoes 13, the same being preferably three in number. and having each an anti: friction roller ll interposed between it and the wedge. the friction shoes having seated between them and the rear end of the friction shell springs 15.'preferal ly consisting of an outer spring 16 and an inner spring 17 nested therein. A connecting bolt 18 extends from 'the wedge to the rear end of the friction shell, the nut 19 thereon being received within the recess 20, in the plate 11 of the shell. and the head 21 being received within the hollow portion 22 of the wedge.

he front stop members 8 are each provided with a vertical recess 23 to receivethe' edges of a stationary follower 24, which is provided with the longitudinal aperture 25 therein for the passage of the wedge 12 horizontal therethro'ugh. The front stop members 8 are also provided with the front stop shoulders 26-26 and the limiting stop shoulders 27-27, between which the front movable follower 28 is adapted to reciprocate. The

- draw bar 29 is operatively connected to the draft gear 9 by means of a draft yoke 30 surrounding the draft gear and the followers, the yoke preferably consisting of a U-shaped yoke strap 31, having the free ends thereof connected to a hollow yoke head 32 adapted to receive the draw bar 29, the yoke head being provided with the transverse slots 33 registering with the slot 3 k in the draw bar to receive the coupler key 35. The coupler key 35 is extended at its ends through the transverse slots 36-36 in adjacent portions of the front stop members 8 and the draft members 3, the said slots being longitudinally extended to permit the free forward and rearward travel of the coupler key 35 therein. The slots 33 in the yoke head are rearwardly extended to permit the free rearward travel of the coupler key therein. A forward preliminary spring 37 is seated between the stationary follower 24 and the movable follower 28.

In normal position of the parts of the draft rigging, the front movable follower 28 engages the front stop shoulders 26, a space as indicated at the numeral 38 in Fig. 1 of the drawings being provided between the front end of the forwardly extended wedge 12 and the said follower 28. On rearward movement of the draw bar the coupler key 35 moves rearwardly therewith, sliding freely in the slots 36-36 in the stop member and draft member and in the slots 33 in the draft yoke. The front follower 28 is forced rearwardly, its rearward movement being resisted by the spring 37 and when the front follower 28 engages the front end of the wedge 12,it forces the wedge rearwardly and brings the friction shoes into action, the rearward movement of the fricyoke in turn supporting the followers 24; and 28 in their respective positions between the front stop members 8-8. On forward movement of the draw bar the yoke draws the shell 10 forwardly, the shoes 13 being stopped against forward movement through their engagement against the stationary follower 2%, the shoes in turn stopping the springs within the shell, which under compression resist the forward movement of the same. T he spring 37 and the friction elements are not in compression resisting action in forward movement of the draw bar. It will be observed that the easy starting of trains is assured by reason of the employment of the springs within the shell only to resist the forward movement of the draw bar and the long, easy, initial compression resisting movement is assured in butting action through the compression of the forward spring between the front movable follower 28 and the stationary follower 2% before the friction elements and spring elements within the shell are brought into compression resisting action.

I claim:

1. In a draft rigging for railway cars, the combination with draft members, stop members, shell, and compression resisting elements within the shell, of a stationary follower, a movable follower, a spring interposed between said followers, said spring being operated only under buff, and means for actuating said elements under buff, directly from the movable follower after a predetermined preliminary.movement thereof during which only said spring is compressed.

2. In a draft rigging for railway. cars,

imes? the combination with draft members, stop members, draw bar, draft yoke and friction draft gear having a wedge, of a movable follower, a stationaryfollower and a spring, the wedge passing through the stationary follower and normally out of engagement therewith, the spring being seated between the stationary follower and the movablefollower and compressed only under bufl".

3. In a. draft rigging for railway cars, the combination with draft members, stop members, draw bar, draft yoke and friction draft gear having a wedge, of a movable follower, a stationary follower and a Spring,

the wedge passing through the stationary" mounted upon the other sideof the stationary follower, a spring between the movable follower and the stationary follower, the wedge passing through the stationary follower to be engaged by the movable follower on compression of the springs, said wedge being normally out of engagementwiththe movable follower.

GEORGE A. JOHNSON.

Witnessesz 4 I Camus G. Benz, I I I LUCILLE Hreoins 

